Sto-Rox Defense Adjusts Its Attitude after a Shaky Start, Vikings 'Stop Troops' Become a Strength

Article excerpt

It wasn't until late September before Dan Bradley witnessed a
noticeable difference in his Sto-Rox football team.

Two weeks after the Vikings suffered a 35-34 loss against Big
Seven Conference opponent Neshannock on Sept. 14, Bradley went back
to view video footage from that game as well as his team's 35-31 non-
conference victory against Northgate on Sept. 28.

"When we sat down and watched tape of those two games, we saw
that we weren't playing inspired defense," the second-year coach
said. "We were lackluster and not disciplined. There were breakdowns
and it wasn't because of ability; it was because of effort.

"Once we were able to point that out to our guys, everyone became
accountable and took it upon themselves to get better. We then
started playing as an inspired collective group."

That moment proved to be a crucial turning point in the season
for Sto-Rox (10-1), which cruised through the rest of the regular
season and into the Class A playoffs.

"Coming into the season, we returned a good core of guys who
started or saw some time last season," Bradley said. "But we also
had just as many players who weren't on team, either. That mix had
to gel together.

"At Week 5, we all came together and really started to play as a
team, especially on defense. We began playing the way we needed to
play."

The No.2-seeded Vikings head into the semifinals and will meet
No. 6 North Catholic (9-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Dormont Stadium.

"To advance far into the playoffs you need a great offense that
can score a lot against people, but you also need a defense to slow
people down," Bradley said. "We've made remarkable strides in that
area."

Sto-Rox has won eight games in a row since losing to Neshannock
and closed out their regular season with three shutouts against
Western Beaver, Laurel and Rochester. The Vikings have only given up
15 points in its two playoff games against Carmichaels and Union.

"Offensively, we've been sound," Bradley said. "We have guys who
have grasped what we're trying to do. Our defense is giving our guys
on offense an opportunity to score. The better you play on defense,
the more opportunities you give your offense. …